Agilent and ICAR-NRCG Expand Collaboration to Boost India's Food Safety

Agilent Technologies India and the ICAR-National Research Centre for Grapes (NRCG) in Pune have initiated the next phase of their collaboration, aiming to strengthen India's food safety infrastructure through advanced analytical science and regulatory engagement. This initiative is expected to bolster India's standing as a reliable global exporter of agricultural products, particularly grapes, and unlock new market opportunities by enhancing transparency and trust in quality assurance.

As India's agricultural exports grow, the demand for reliable, scalable, and regulation-ready food testing solutions has intensified. Agilent and NRCG are co-developing targeted workflows for pesticide residue and fumigant analysis, focusing on sustainability, precision, and alignment with global regulatory standards. These efforts are designed to support laboratories and stakeholders in meeting evolving safety standards and increasing confidence in the safety of India's food supply chain. Agilent is providing analytical instrumentation and solutions for use in NRCG's research and field activities.

The collaboration will also serve as a platform for deeper engagement with the scientific and regulatory community. Through joint workshops, webinars, and technical publications, Agilent and NRCG aim to foster knowledge exchange and promote best practices in analytical testing. These initiatives are intended to build capacity among food safety professionals and encourage the adoption of validated methods across government and commercial laboratories.

Nandakumar Kalathil, Agilent's Country General Manager for India, highlighted the partnership's importance in building resilient and future-ready food safety systems. Dr. Kaushik Banerjee, Director of ICAR-NRCG, described the collaboration as a natural progression supporting innovation, regulatory compliance, and stakeholder empowerment by integrating Agilent's technological capabilities with NRCG's research leadership. This renewed effort builds upon previous successes and reinforces a shared commitment to delivering measurable outcomes in food testing.